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Background   
Common Midas Concepts   
   + Version Numbering   
   + Basic Features   
   + Data Types   
   - Blue Files   
      - Basics   
      - Structure   
      - Detached   
      - File Types   
         - Type 1000   
         - Type 2000   
         - Type 3000   
         - Type 5000   
         - Type 6000   
      - Extended Type 3000/5000   
      - Qualifiers   
      - Trimmers   
      - ConsLength   
      - Time Code   
   + Lab 1   
Getting Started - Part 1   
Getting Started - Part 2   
Working with Files   
Option Trees   
Macros - Part 1 (Basics)   
Macros - Part 2 (Graphics)   
NetBeans - Part 1 (Setup)   
NetBeans - Part 2 (GUIs)   
NetBeans - Part 3 (Profiler)   
Eclipse - Part 1 (Setup)   
Eclipse - Part 2 (GUIs)   
Primitives   
Applets & WebStart   
Maps & Imagery   
X-Midas Interoperability   
RMIF & Remoting   
Installing NeXtMidas   
Support & Maintenance   
File Handlers   


  • Structure of Blue Files:
    • There are three main parts to a Blue File:
      Main Header
      The Main Header is divided into two sections:
      Fixed Basic information about the file (start values, deltas, units).
        Fields common to all Blue files.
        Three keywords (called main header keywords).
      Adjunct Details about the file layout (varies based on file type).
        May include system modeling information.
      Data
      The binary data of the file.
      Extended Header
      Stores keywords (auxiliary information about the file).
  • Indexing into a Blue Files:
    • It is important to note that different Midas frameworks use different indexing systems when accessing elements of a file.
      X-Midas Uses one-based indexing which matches VMS and Fortran standards.
      NeXtMidas Uses zero-based indexing which matches Unix and Java/C/C++ standards.
X-Midas Users Take Note:
Prior to the release of the Blue file specification some versions of Martes created Blue files with a non-standard extended header. X-Midas has been modified to allow most of the non-standard files to be read correctly.